Event Details

Tiga
How does one begin to write about Tiga? Where to even start on a long road marked with notable checkpoints? What can be told that can't be tallied in raw statistics (which he's a total stickler for), or an unfurled parchment scroll of places gone and plaudits won?
The duality of a life split between aspirational popstar and touring deejay falls short: by this point in time he's lived dozens of lives,
let alone a mere two. Frankly the only claim that doesn't wash is that of being in a legacy mode - because that, to him, denotes the cardinal sin of coasting. And that just won't do.
The core engine pushing Tiga forward is ambition. It's there, everywhere: at the dials in any given club in any given city in any given country on any given weekend; burning the midnight oil in the
Research & Development wing of his career control centre, crisp shirt sleeves rolled, assessing and strategising over his next move; with his feet up on the gleaming glass desk in the penthouse
office of Turbo Towers, gold plaques of decade-dominating dancefloor delights flanking him - it's there. Self-aware, well moderated, yet totally unrepentant ambition.
Plus a bit of wit, too. To be insulated from any real backlash over a quarter-century in the game and across many different hats worn, a touch of humility and humour certainly helps it all go down easy. His goal is to dunk on people with success, but do so in a friendly way, soaring overhead with the sly wink of chutzpah (but never the nudge-nudge of solipsistic irony for irony's sakes). To maintain pole position while swerving between all these lanes with impunity, he taps into a wellspring of regenerating desire. From the getgo Tiga has sought to not merely play a part in the culture he abandoned all life commitments for age 17, but frequently scale its heights too:
Attending Berlin's Love Parade circa '92-95, then hearing DJ Hell drop "Sunglasses At Night" to the masses not too many years later. Giving a speech at his Montreal alma mater, then converting
some of the impressionable graduates in the audience to come work at Turbo. Starting an independent label on a whim, then reaching 200 releases in a stormy industry with a higher turnover rate than Real Madrid managers. Getting hooked first on the fearless compulsion of Bowie, Reznor and Almond, then the frigid cool of Mills, Hawtin and D. James, then threading the needle consummately between these two worlds. These highwatermarks form the backbone of his pride, and in turn, fuel the self-perpetuating motion machine inside.
There's always extra room in the cockpit, mind. An army of collaborators, remixers and remixees have provided vital thrust over the years. From Alter Ego and Azari & III through Duke Dumont and Depeche Mode; from Matthew Dear and Moby, through Zombie Nation and Zdar, Phillipe; Paranoid London, Pusha T, Pet Shop Boys and Peaches....on and on it goes. Read between the lines and
you'll get a measure of the man. Teamwork affords stimulus, shuts down ego, and juices something he can't get to alone.At heart, it brings out the best in Tiga. So it'll prove in 2018, where the fingers of his well-combed Rolodex currently rest on entries marked Kolsch, The Martinez Brothers, and Hudson Mohawke. The fruits of this friendly jousting with find their way out of track ID requests and into the shops before long (perhaps even by the moment you read this - hope you're enjoying the future and remembered to short your cryptocurrency in time).
It would be a lot easier to rest on his laurels by this point, really. To trade on former glories, reflect fondly on a career spent dovetailing in and out of the spotlight with likeminded friends, turning in a
jaded, half-assed representation of himself at festivals and recording sessions when the taxman comes knocking. But Tiga is still too confident, self-respecting, and - how did you guess? - ambitious for that.
The challenge he seeks is to keep experiencing the frisson of creative alchemy, to lock into a groove where he is truly in the zone, to dig deep and reproduce a fresh take on that first-love feeling of music: something that connects with young ravers and inspires the same spark he felt all those years ago. That's the spur, the lifeblood, the DNA.
And that's why Tiga remains an ever-present light in our little corner of the universe.

Website: www.tiga.ca

The Black Madonna
"...[A]n increasingly respected DJ, known for uplifting sets that balance established anthems with idiosyncratic selections. She's an accomplished producer, too, with a string of irresistible tracks--'Exodus' and 'A Jealous Heart Never Rests' among them--that still get plenty of airtime two years later. And then there's her position as the talent buyer at Chicago's Smart Bar, one of the best clubs in North America, which has arguably become even more noteworthy under her direction." - Andrew Ryce for Resident Advisor, October 2014

In December of 2012, North America's oldest independent venue, Smart Bar announced the The Black Madonna as a new resident, along with Derrick Carter and Frankie Knuckles. Within a year, she became the club's first ever Creative Director in its three decade history, bringing a decidedly anti-establishment philosophy to her curatorial style. Her retooled residency program reflects a distinct set of values, adding Honey Soundsystem, DVS1, Regis, Honey Dijon and transgressive events such as Men's Room to an already diverse offering.

Of her philosophy she said, "Dance music needs riot grrrls. Dance music needs Patti Smith. It needs DJ Sprinkles. Dance music needs some discomfort with its euphoria. Dance music needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs women over the age of 40. Dance needs breastfeeding DJs trying to get their kids to sleep before they have to play. Dance needs cranky queers and teenagers who are really tired of this shit. Dance music needs writers and critics and academics and historians. Dance music needs poor people and people who don't have the right shoes to get into the club. Dance music needs shirts without collars. Dance music needs people who struggled all week. Dance music needs people that had to come before midnight because they couldn't afford full admission. Dance music does not need more of the status quo."

A sublime technician behind the decks, The Black Madonna is known for fluent and dynamic vinyl sets, which span from disco to techno. And then of course, there's her inimitable energy, an infectious joy and ability to connect with the room, which along with her skill has cemented her as a beloved regular and crowd favorite at revered venues such as Panorama Bar. Her DJ mixes for Beats In Space, Little White Earbuds and Bicep's Rinse FM show remain highly regarded, selected from deep crates and executed with precision.

The Black Madonna's catalog of releases/remixes includes labels such as Argot, Stripped & Chewed, Classic, Freerange and Home Taping is Killing Music. Crosstalk International described her "Lady Of Sorrows EP" on Argot, as "her most fully realized work to date -- A great leap forward from the sample-clad disco house of her records for Home Taping Is Killing Music and Stripped & Chewed. Weaving live orchestration and irresistible synth lines through tough percussive frames, both tracks bare their souls to listeners with enough muscle to command dancers' attention." In 2014, she followed up the Argot release with two back to back EP's. Both sold out immediately and remain highly sought after on the vinyl market.

In 2015, along with Steve Mizek of Argot, she will launch Smart Bar's vinyl imprint, showcasing the work of Smart Bar's considerable pool of residents.

Website: www.theblackmadonna.com

Harvard Bass
Mexican-American bad-boy Victor 'Harvard Bass' has always brought together the raw appeal of American booty with the style and function of European Ass. His sound has earned him in-crew-sion in Seth Troxler's Tuskegee posse, Green Velvet's Relief Records, and of course Tiga's Turbo. With years of releases under his belt, he's maintained an impressively consistent voice.

It all comes down to the fact that he is a bonafide sex addict who managed to turn a problem into a career by combining his obsession with thickness and his prowess for production. His Releases can be heard as Harvard Bass' confession, his plea of insanity set to the sound of a perfectly functioning Ibiza super-club, complete with sexy paid dancers, industrial smoke cannons, and the kind of mass communal ego death that comes from 10+ straight hours of tech-house.

With the Launch of his very own Bump City Records, Harvard has vowed to put his famous raw ghetto sexiness on the map. Boom-time, ladies and gentlemen.

Artist Details

The origins of Montreal born DJ-producer-incipient Teutonic legend Tiga lie to the vague and troubling East, where he was weaned on the nefarious milk of the notorious 1980s Indian club scene.“To the unforgiving eye,” he says of the sybaritic night-kingdom,“a world of filth and decadence is revealed. For example, I’m fairly certain that more than a few club owners had an unsavory arrangement with the man who brought the folding chairs. I was at once appalled and enraptured. After that, I had no choice...
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Raised in a family with a musical taste steeped in rich Mexican culture, Victor Hugo Ramos was born with rhythm in his veins. At the pivotal age of 16, he would sneak into house and techno clubs in Tijuana to soak in the waves of early inspiration. Driven by a beat he could not ignore, Victor bought his first DJ setup and began mixing songs that were making an impression on him, regardless of genre. This forward-thinking mentality would soon become crucial in the development of the Harvard Bass...
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Androgynous Mind, Avenger of Comiskey Park, Patron Saint of Abandonned Daughters, Smart Bar Resident.
WE STILL BELIEVE.
"...[A]n increasingly respected DJ, known for uplifting sets that balance established anthems with idiosyncratic selections. She's an accomplished producer, too, with a string of irresistible tracks--'Exodus' and 'A Jealous Heart Never Rests' among them--that still get plenty of airtime two years later. And then there's her position as the talent buyer at Chicago's Smart Bar, one...
View More